FlipSide: The vendor edition of: "And the winner is..."

The judges of the third annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards couldn't decide which executive to honor with the Large Contractor Executive of the Year Award, so they chose two.

Ernst Volgenau, founder and former chief executive officer of SRA International, shared the award with J.P. "Jack" London, chairman, president and CEO of CACI International. The awards ceremony, held Oct. 19, also featured awards for contractor executives from small and midsize companies -- one company in each size class -- and public-sector partners.

Volgenau, who retired in 2004, and London have often said they went into government contracting to serve the country. In accepting his award, London reiterated that message.

"This is a fantastic industry we're in," he said. "We have a great opportunity to serve our country through the services we provide. These are indeed critical times we're in."

The judges also had a hard time choosing a single public-sector partner. So two winners shared that award, too. The winners are Joann Kansier, director of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Competitive Sourcing, and Greg Rothwell, chief procurement officer at the Homeland Security Department.

Stan Soloway, president of the Professional Services Council, praised Kansier in a recorded introduction for running a competition that Lockheed Martin eventually won. Even before the outcome was known, Soloway said Kansier was gaining admiration from everyone involved for running it well.

Rothwell emphasized the idea of government officials as partners. "When you think about this as a partnership, you have to think about the companies working hard," he said.

Earle Williams, former president and CEO of BDM International, was inducted into the Greater Washington Government Contractors Hall of Fame. In a speech that concluded the awards ceremony, he noted the longevity of the technology industry in the Washington, D.C., area.

"It annoys me when I read from time to time that the technology industry came to Northern Virginia in 1990 or 1991," he said. "You know who's saying that, it's the dot-coms. They're gone, and we're still here."